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Daniel Boone and his son Nathan Boone

Hunters, trappers, surveyors, road builders, businessmen and much more the Boone family played vital roles in the pioneering of the American frontier.

Daniel Boone (October 22, 1734 – September 26, 1820) moved to the Femme Osage District of Saint Charles County Missouri in 1799. Missouri was then part of Spanish Louisiana. He died in the home of his son Nathan Boone in Defiance Mo.

The Boone family connection to Greene County Missouri is through Daniel Boone's son Nathan (March 2, 1781-October 16, 1856). The History of Greene County, Missouri 1883 has a brief entry as follows: "The western part of the county was explored at an early day by Nathan Boone. He was the youngest son of Daniel Boone, was a captain in the United States service, and was one of the first white men who traversed Southwest Missouri. He was pleased with the appearance of the west part of this county, and selected some land in the neighborhood of Ash Grove, and sent out his son to take out preemption rights. Several of the Boone family have since lived in the county. Nathan Boone located in the heart of Ash Grove—a large grove of timber composed principally of walnut and ash, and receiving its name from the predominance of the latter. James, John, Benjamin and Howard were his sons. His sons-in-law were William Caulfield and Alfred Horseman, who also settled in the grove. Nathan Boone at one time owned several hundred acres of land. James Boone, his oldest son, is said to be the oldest American white male child born in Missouri, west of St. Louis county. He was born in St. Charles county in 1800. His two daughters, Mrs. Frazier and Mrs. Horseman, and his grandson, James W., besides some other grandsons and grand-daughters, still live near Ash Grove."

The Nathan Boone Cabin is located near Ash Grove, Missouri, and is maintained by the State of Missouri as a state historic site. The Nathan Boone home is believed to be one of the oldest structures in Greene County.